Goodnight, Marluxia
by Eddie and Alex
Summary: Set between CoM and KH2. Demyx's reaction to the outcome of CoM. Songfic to "Goodnight Elizabeth" by Counting Crows. Warning: sappy, sad, OOC Demyx


Disclaimer: We, of Eddie and Alex, do not own the rights to any Kingdom Hearts characters or place. Nor do we own the rights to "Goodnight, Elizabeth" by Counting Crows.

Eddie: You've finally lost it, haven't you?

Alex: No…I was listening to the iPod on shuffle and this song came up…

Eddie: But this paring? Really?

Alex: I'm not the one who shipped Saix/Xion, missy.

Eddie: *grumbles*

Alex: As a note, the lyrics were changed a little bit…artistic license and all that.

Goodnight, Marluxia

"I was wasting the afternoon," Demyx sang quietly as he looked out at the sky. "Waiting on a train." He recalled sitting atop of the Sunset Hill train station, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon, waiting for the "ghost train" to appear in the distance. "I woke up in pieces and Marluxia, you disappeared again." He had been waiting for Marluxia to come back from a mission, like always. He had woken up that morning to an empty room, devoid of the flower-sprouting man. He pulled his mind away from the memories and stared at the newly turned earth at his feet. A roughly carved headstone threatened to fall backwards, and Demyx righted it as he dropped a single, red rose onto the earth. "I wished you were in sight of me. I hoped you were okay," he said as he slipped back into the memory. But Marluxia had never reappeared, and Demyx had returned to the castle late. He wouldn't learn about Marluxia's fate until the graveyard appeared on the outskirts of the town. He knelt beside the grave, tears silently falling onto the ground below. "I hope you're resting quietly. I just wanted to say…" he paused and kissed his hand before laying in on the grave. "Good-goodnight," he whispered brokenly. "Marluxia, goodnight."

Demyx turned away and up at the looming castle. "We can't all be leaders," he whispered as he saw the other Nobodies gathered on the terrace. "Some of us are clowns," he touched his chest over where his heart should have been. His dancer nobodies waited silently around him, their bodies swaying gently. As he stood and began the long walk back to the castle, they shadowed his steps. "Some of us are dancers on the train way," he told them. "We roam from town to town." The dancers didn't understand his words, but they nodded anyway. None of them could understand the emotions Demyx had, or appeared to have. They only knew that the powerful , pink-haired Nobody was not with them anymore.

As he walked along the streets, Demyx saw a flash of red and turned to see Axel leaning against one of the walls, laughing as he explained something to Roxas. He smiled sadly as the younger Nobody threw his hands in the air and tried to walk away, only to be pulled into a hug by Axel. He turned away, feeling a pang of jealousy for their relationship. "I hope that everybody can find a little flame," he wished. He didn't want the two to end up like him, alone and heartbroken.

He opened the door to the castle, only to be bombarded by a mission report. The thing floated imperiously in front of him, demanding attention. "Go to the Underworld and contact Hades. If you cannot get him on our side, steal the Olympus Stone and return here," Xemnas voice echoed as Demyx touched the report. He scowled and pocketed the note. He remembered Marluxia's promise that if he were leader, the reports would be the first thing to go. "Remember that when you say those silly prayers of yours, Demy," Marluxia had chuckled. Demyx felt the tears stinging his eyes once more, and he bitterly wiped at his eyes.

"And, yeah, I say my prayers and I just light myself on fire," he hissed as he walked through the halls. He stepped out onto the terrace, hiding his face beneath his hood. "And walk out on the wire once again." He remembered Marluxia commenting that each mission to another world was like tight-rope walking, it took skill to come out alive. Every time he was sent on a mission, he'd ruffle Demyx's hair and tell him he was going for a "walk on the wire". Demyx sighed as the memories faded once more. He tilted his head back and looked up at the moon hanging overhead. "And I say, goodnight, Marluxia. Goodnight," he hung his head and let the tears fall, knowing no one could see his face beneath the hood. His dancers gathered around him once more, blocking anyone who tried to approach him. "I'll wait for you in Oblivion," he promised quietly. "I'll see you in Twilight Town." He knew he would go back to Sunset Hill and wait for the pink-haired assassin to appear again, sitting atop the incoming trains like always.

Turning away, he kept his distance from the remaining Organization members. He knew he wasn't the only one to lose someone in Castle Oblivion. He ignored the greetings of the others, turning his head aside as they passed. He kept the dancers close, using them as virtual shields. He walked into his room, locking the doors behind him. "I'll miss you as I slip into something comfortable," he whispered as he dropped his jacket and tossed his boots aside. "Miss you when I'm Betwixt and Between." He curled up at the head of his bed, feeling small without the presence of another body to fill the space. He held the pale pink pillow to his chest, hoping the frail scent of flowers would help him sleep.

Sleep evaded him for several hours as he lay there. He threw off the sheets and grabbed his uniform, slipping out into the night once more. "If you wrap yourself in daffodils," he whispered to the ghost haunting his memories. "I will wrap myself in pain." He walked along the empty streets. "Cause if you're the King of Nobodies, baby, I am King of the Rain," he smiled sadly. He recalled Marluxia's flamboyant gesturing when he demanded Demyx call him "King of the Nobodies" one day. Above him, the clouds opened up and rain began to drip down. Demyx raised his head and stared up into the sky, letting the rain mask his tears. "Good-goodnight, Marluxia," he cried. "Goodnight."

As he glanced at the castle, he saw two figures moving along the upper terrace. From their stances, he knew it was Xemnas and that lap-dog Saix. Demyx could tell by the gesturing, Xemnas was telling Saix something about Kingdom Hearts, like usual. They both turned and basked in the eerie light of the heart-shaped moon. "The moon's just a satellite," Demyx muttered, mirroring the sentiment Marluxia had given some time ago. "Yeah," he nodded as he walked away.

He knew his feet were carrying him back to the graveyard, even if he wanted to avoid it. He could feel the rain beating cold against his skin, and for once, the water gave no comfort. He raised his hands for a moment and let the rain pool between his palms. "Won't you fall down on me now, won't you fall down on me," he sang to the rain softly pattering against his jacket. "Come, come and fall down on me." He wanted the rain to wash away the ache in his chest. He didn't want these emotions.

"Cause I'm all alone," he sang softly as he reached the graveyard. "You ain't coming home." He reached the grave and crumpled to his knees, digging his hands into the soft dirt. "You just settle down, down, down…into the night," he told Marluxia. "Just settle down into the night." He knew that Marluxia would stand there and tell him to get up and get moving. As he stood, he stared at the jagged letters on the headstone. "Goodnight, Marluxia," he whispered one last time before leaving for his mission. He didn't know if he'd return, but he knew he had to put these emotions to rest.


End file.
